The International Franchise Association's Franchise Business Economic Outlook for 2020 projects the number of franchised business in the U.S. will increase by 1.5% to a total of 785,316 — adding 232,000 jobs this year to reach 8.6 million employees.
General Motors is backtracking on an aggressive promotion of three-cylinder engines in China that saw some Buick and Chevrolet models offered only in that option - a move which proved highly unpopular and helped sales slide, people familiar with matter said.
Oil prices climbed more than 1% on Wednesday, boosted by news that OPEC and its producer allies are weighing further output cuts to counter a potential squeeze on global oil demand resulting from China's fast-spreading coronavirus.
Japanese trading house Marubeni Corp on Wednesday cut its full-year net profit forecast by 17% due to a one-off loss on its energy assets and lower profits from U.S. agri-business in the wake of a prolonged U.S.-Sino trade war.
Wizz Air's largest shareholder, U.S.-based private equity firm Indigo Partners, carried out a long-time plan to cut its stake in the company as the Budapest-based low-cost airline works to comply with European Union ownership rules.
Britain will ban the sale of new petrol, diesel and hybrid cars from 2035, five years earlier than planned, in an attempt to reduce air pollution that could herald the end of over a century of reliance on the internal combustion engine.
A Milan court ordered Dutch lender ING to pay 30 million euros ($33.17 million) to settle a money-laundering case in Italy, a judicial source said on Tuesday.
The surge on Tuesday comes after Tesla on Monday climbed nearly 20%, its biggest one-day gain in six years.
Intercontinental Exchange Inc (ICE), the owner of the New York Stock Exchange, said on Tuesday it had approached e-commerce company eBay Inc to explore "a range of potential opportunities".
China's civil aviation authority has urged domestic carriers to continue flying international routes as they consider cuts in response to a drop in demand due to the coronavirus outbreak, state news agency Xinhua reported on Tuesday.
Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd plans to cut around 30% of its capacity over the next two months, including around 90% of its flights to mainland China, as it grapples with the coronavirus epidemic, its CEO said on Tuesday.
Glencore said its 2019 copper output fell 6% and battery mineral cobalt rose 10% as it boosted production at its Katanga mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo, offsetting the impact of the early closure of another operation.
Asian stocks steadied on Wednesday as Chinese stocks nudged higher on hopes of additional stimulus to lessen the economic impact of a coronavirus outbreak, but risks remain as the illness continues to spread and the death toll neared 500.
Oil prices clawed back ground on Tuesday amid hopes for new output curbs from OPEC and its allies to offset any potential drop in demand triggered by the coronavirus outbreak.
Hong Kong's markets regulator and stock exchange will relax rules on how companies must publish their annual results in response to challenges caused by the newly identified coronavirus, they said in a joint statement on Tuesday.